Instantaneously Eternal
by Quiet Liar
Summary: A collection of Naruto one-shots, centered around the main cast. "Explode a moment, shrink a scene, and everything will come to life." Disclaimer: I don't own the cover image or Naruto.


_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the cover picture.**_

 _ **One: Aniki**_

Sasuke grit his teeth, seething as he stared at the back of the water towers. His eyes narrowed at the sight of them, frustrated beyond belief. One of them barely had a dent in it, no sign of the chidori _he worked so hard to perfect_ , while the tower opposite almost had no back, the metal shredded, scattered a few feet before him in the alleyway, and he bristled. How was it that the dead last had gotten better again.

 _Not defeat,_ a sinister voice hissed in his head. _Never defeat, because he couldn't lose to_ _ **him**_ _, and he refused to be defeated by anyone until he beat_ _ **him**_ _._

But it wasn't fair! How had the dead last of their class, the idiot, the hopeless case who failed not once, not twice, but _three_ times before he graduated, managed to get so powerful since they left that waste of time they called the academy! He was a _dunce_ , yet people offered to teach him as if he was the rookie of the year, as if he was a _prodigy._

He _hated_ that word, because it was what he _tried so hard_ to be, yet he never could be, because in their eyes, it was always about _**him**_. It was never about Sasuke, no, it was always about his _Prodigy older brother_ , and he hated him for it, but he didn't because he was his Aniki and he loved hi-

No. He didn't love him. He was a monster, who destroyed everything precious to him, and ruined his life. How could he love someone he wanted nothing more than to kill viciously, just like _Naruto_ -

His eyes widened at his train of thought, promptly cutting it off. His teammate may have been given stupid luck, but that didn't make him like _**him**_.

Because that was all it was. Luck.

 _Was it though?_ The voice returned, and his fists started clenching as it continued. _He would have to possess some talent to get where he was, wouldn't he? And with the amount of power he's gained in such a short time… maybe he is a_ prodigy.

Blood was starting to trickle from his tightly closed hands, and suddenly his heart was a lot louder than he thought it was. His emotions frenzied as the voice chuckled, a raspy laugh that sent shivers up his spine.

Naruto could never be a prodigy. He was too stupid to be that horrid word.

 _Was he? He seems to be quite similar to Itac-_

" _Don't say his name!"_ he snarled to himself silently, as if even thinking it would bring him back into his life to ruin it.

 _Your_ precious _Aniki and him are one in the same. Both have ridiculous talent-_

He was not that talented.

 _They're smart, hideously smart, in the most deceptive ways possible._

Th-that wasn't true.

 _And the idiot boy is nearing that age, isn't he? That age when Itachi destroyed everything you held dear, that age when you lost everything, that age when there_ _ **wAs N**_ _ot_ _ **HIn**_ _G-_

" _Shut up, shut up, shut up-"_

His hands fisted his hair, as he started to hyperventilate, because _this was not happening_ , and he needed to _get out._

 _What will you do when-_

He stumbled away, away from the alley, away from his team, away from everything _that could hurt him._

 _-he comes for you-_

Was he panting? Was he not breathing? Was that why he couldn't think, why he couldn't feel air, _why he was running away_?

" _Run, run and cling to your pitiful life."_

Where was he? How did he get there? He didn't know, he just knew he had to get away, away before it happened _again._

 _-and takes all that remains of you?_

He slinked against the trunk, and _when did he get in a tree?_ His hands clenched his hair painfully, as he twisted his eyes shut forcefully, not allowing himself to see what other horrors would be waiting for him, as his knees brought themselves in front of him, some sort of vague shield while his body trembled. He forgot what air was, he forgot to breath, because _it was going to happen again, and why didn't he see this coming, why did he get cl_ _ **Os**_ _e_ _ **T**_ _O_ _ **P**_ _Eo_ _ **pL**_ _e?_

 _What will you do?_ The warbled voice chanted, and it only added to the convoluted chaos swirling in his mind, but there was one thing he fought to hold onto, one drop that remained in the clouds opposed to slashing at him with powerful gale force winds;

 _ **Never again.**_

A wistful clarity slowly contorted upon itself, brief glimpses of broken pictures and words dashing before him, slowly catching their meaning as time collapsed in on itself.

 _ **He knew what he would do.**_

He wouldn't let himself be hurt. He would leave. He would become powerful. He would break his bonds. _He wouldn't be broken._

 _ **Never again.**_

A mad grin crossed his face as the pain lessened, losing feeling as his hands moved to form a chidori, blue lightning racing down his arm, garbled chirping flying from it, as though it feared what would happen next. Sasuke raised his hand, staring at it, imagining it coated in _**their**_ blood, while he held their standing corpses aloft.

 _ **Never again, Aniki.**_


End file.
